Dark Shadows

Lillis traveled widely across the country, carried out an impressive number of interviews, and followed several key events… She also closely explored the stories and experiences of numerous [people]… Her work demonstrates that [Kazakhstan] has become more secretive, authoritative, and oppressive. * CHOICE *Astute, refreshing and revelatory; it is also surprisingly tender, showing not only her affection but her care in trying to make sense of a country that needs to be understood warts and all … It is not easy to look beneath the surface and make sense of a country of such contrasts and complexities, especially one that is in transition. You don’t need a book about Kazakhstan to realise that the world is changing; but reading Dark Shadows is a great place to start for anyone wanting to see how and why Central Asia matters in the 21st century. – Peter Frankopan * The Spectator *Dark Shadows reads like a thriller. Lillis knows exactly how to investigate and tell stories, which characters readers will relate to or abhor, and how sources need to be interrogated & balanced. * Asian Affairs *This is a fine book, beautifully written and with just the right blend of affection and censure. Lillis has rendered a great public service by dispelling some of the myths and caricatures that have gathered around Kazakhstan, which remains one of the world’s least well-understood countries. * Eurasianet *Through in-depth interviews and good access to a range of Kazakh public figures, the book presents a powerful tale of injustice, corruption and fear … An interesting and comprehensive addition to scholarship on Eurasia and post-Soviet and Central Asian studies at a time of renewed interest in the region at the crossroads between China and Russia. * Europe-Asia Studies *The best book in English in the last decade on developments in Kazkahstan – William Courtney, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the RAND Corporation, and former US ambassador to KazakhstanThis is the essential book about an increasingly important, but highly secretive, country. With a keen eye and sharp analysis, Joanna Lillis goes beyond the ‘post-Soviet’ cliches to explore the depths of Kazakhstan’s politics, history and money – Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing is true and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia

Joanna Lillis is a Kazakhstan-based journalist reporting on Central Asia whose work has featured in the Guardian, The Economist and the Independent newspapers, the Eurasianet website and Foreign Policy and POLITICO magazines. Prior to settling in Kazakhstan in 2005, she lived in Russia and Uzbekistan between 1995 and 2005, and worked for BBC Monitoring, the BBC World Service’s global media tracking service. While completing a BA in Modern Languages at the University of Leeds, she studied Russian in the Soviet republics of Belorussia and Ukraine before the collapse of the USSR, and has an MA in Interpreting and Translation from the University of Bradford.